


Dabble

by starstruck1986



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2016-12-24
Packaged: 2018-09-11 20:38:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9018907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starstruck1986/pseuds/starstruck1986
Summary: The last person each of them would want to get stuck in a lift with is the other.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [slu64](https://archiveofourown.org/users/slu64/gifts).



> Warnings/Content: Language, sniping, claustrophobia, hinted M/s Play.

Charlie slapped his pocket radio hard, trying to jerk it back into life. He gave it another hard bash but nothing happened. With a muttered “bollocks!” under his breath, he pulled out his headphones and let them swing towards the floor of the lift.  
  
A soft snort came from his right and Charlie looked up. His company consisted of a weary-looking maintenance worker, a witch doing her make-up and Severus Snape.  
  
“Something funny?” he asked of the wizard.  
“Only your apparent ineptitude. I knew those seven NEWTs were fabricated.”  
“Only the Potions one. I had a _really_ shit teacher,” Charlie said emphatically, arranging his features into a frown.  
  
There was no retort other than slightly quirked eyebrows. Charlie wound his headphones round the portable radio and slipped it into his pocket as the lift let out a loud ding and the  
doors rumbled open. The maintenance worker ambled out, pulling his mop and bucket behind him. The witch continued perfecting her lipstick, pouting at herself in a compact mirror. The doors closed again and Charlie staggered a little as the momentum of the lift shifted him.  
  
He thought he heard another derisive snort as he reached up to grab hold of one of the handles dangling from the roof. Charlie rolled his eyes and stared at his reflection in the shiny doors.  
  
He acknowledged that he looked a mess. He'd been camping in the New Forest for three weeks, tracking a reported herd of Unicorns. A 'herd' turned out to be one beautiful unicorn and three very confused foals, who had clearly been separated from their real mothers and found solace in the odd, mystical creature who looked so different to them.  
  
Now that he thought about it, he was fairly sure he had leaves in his hair and mud on the seat of his trousers. A quick look showed him thoroughly disgusting fingernails caked with grime underneath.  
  
The lift lurched to an abrupt stop and the doors opened again. The witch with the mirror departed without so much as glancing at where she was walking, still engrossed in her lipstick. Charlie wasn't sure he'd ever put that much effort into anything, let alone his personal appearance. The doors closed again and he was left alone with Severus Snape. The lift flew backwards without warning, nearly taking Charlie's feet out from under him, and he stumbled forward into the control panel.  
  
“Shit!” he cried as his arm swept over several buttons, including the emergency stop and something frightening he'd never had to press before.  
  
The tiny box dropped several feet as a dead weight causing his stomach to turn, then slammed to a halt and sent him careening across the space straight into his travelling companion.  
  
“Shit, shit, shit,” he cursed. “Fuck. I'm so sorry, Snape!”  
  
He was on his knees practically pinning the older wizard to the lift wall. Pulling back, he felt pain in his kneecaps and his left wrist. Snape looked winded.  
  
“Are you okay?” Charlie asked softly, using the rail around the outside to drag himself upright. “These bloody lifts! They would fix them if any of them actually deigned to use the fucking things!”  
  
Charlie shook his hair back from his face and looked over at the control panel. It was all flashing a luminous red colour and the lift was very definitely not moving.  
  
“No...” Charlie headed for the panel and stared at it.  
  
He reached out for the old fashioned telephone which said 'in case of emergency' on it. He put it to his ear.  
  
“Magical maintenance, how may I help you?” A cheery witch answered.  
“Hi. Um. I think our lift has got stuck?”  
“You think your stick's full of muck?”  
“Our lift's got stuck!” Charlie repeated, trying to enunciate but panic was starting to rattle him.  
  
He did not like small, enclosed spaces. He liked being trapped in them even less.  
  
“Oh. What number? At the top of the panel, what's the number of the carriage?”  
“Forty-three.”  
“And do you know the last floor the doors opened on?”  
  
Charlie had no idea. Taking a fortifying breath he turned round. “Snape. Do you know what floor the witch that was best friends with her mirror got out on?”  
“Department of Astrology.”  
“Astrology,” Charlie repeated into the phone.  
“And did anything happen to make the lift stop?”  
“I got thrown into the control panel. Hit a load of buttons.”  
  
He thought he heard the witch mutter 'idiot' under her breath and bit down his mouthful. Antagonising her would not get them rescued any quicker.  
  
“Can you get someone on this right away?” he asked throatily. “I'm claustrophobic and I'm going to have a panic attack.”  
  
He waited a beat to see whether her pity would see to it.  
  
“Oh, you poor love! Of course. You're perfectly safe though. But I'll get someone onto it right away. Try to stay calm, sweetpea, all right?”  
  
Charlie wished that the shake in his voice as he replied “All right, thanks,” had been put on for effect.  
  
“And if you need to talk you just pick up the phone and talk to me. How many of you are in there?”  
“Two.”  
“Well. Sit tight. We'll have you out in a jiffy.”  
  
Charlie hung up the phone and exhaled.  
  
“Claustrophobic?” Snape asked.  
“Yeah.” Charlie buried his hands in his pockets and turned around. “Everyone's got terrors left over from the war. That's mine.”  
  
He slouched over to the opposite wall and sat down. He let his head fall back and closed his eyes.  
  
 _Stay calm. Breathe in, breathe out._  
  
“You do realise it's entirely your own fault that we're trapped here?”  
“I fell. It's not like I pressed the buttons on purpose like an out of control kid.”  
“I just thought a big, burly dragon keeper such as yourself would be able to stay on his feet.”  
“Well I'm not a dragon keeper any more, so that's that fucked, isn't it?”  
  
Charlie clenched his hand into a fist.  
  
“Have I touched a nerve?” Snape asked dryly.  
“If you don't shut up I'll touch more than your nerves,” Charlie muttered.  
“Well there's no need for threats, Weasley.”  
“How about we both just shut the fuck up, eh?” Charlie crossed his legs at the ankle and tipped his head back against the lift wall.  
  
***  
  
“How long have we been here?” Snape asked.  
“Three hours.”  
  
There was a loud sigh and Charlie risked a glance over.  
  
Severus Snape looked tired. He had dark circles under his eyes and his hair hung around his face, and he looked too thin curled up in the corner. Trying to put an age to him Charlie found he couldn't; his memory grew worse with each passing year.  
  
“Something to say, Weasley?”  
“Do you ever get tired of being such a miserable old bat?”  
“Being a what?”  
  
Charlie opened his mouth to rise to the bait but chose to close it again instead. Snape met his eye and waited. Charlie gave himself over to a yawn instead.  
  
“Charming.”  
“Yeah, well, backatcha.”  
  
Suddenly the emergency phone started ringing. Stiff from sitting still for so long, Charlie struggled upright and grabbed it.  
  
“Hello?”  
“Hello pet, how are you keeping?”  
“I'm still here,” Charlie said pointedly.  
“I know. But we've finally found where you are. It'll only be another hour. Do you need me to talk you through some breathing exercises?”  
“Nah, I think I'll cope,” Charlie replied, hoping he didn't sound too sarcastic. “Thanks then.”  
  
He hung up the phone once more and sighed.  
  
“Another hour,” he said, without turning round.  
“Are they waiting for the maintenance workers to reach adulthood, do you think?” Snape also sighed. “Because that's the only reason I'll forgive leaving us trapped here in this bloody brass tomb.”  
“Can we not talk about tombs and death?” Charlie asked.  
  
Snape looked as though he might apologise, but Charlie wasn't surprised as he was allowed to sit back down without further comment. His stomach gave a loud rumble just at that moment. He pulled his rucksack towards him and loosened the neck. Inside had been magically enlarged and housed everything he'd needed for camping, plus the remains of his diminished food stockpile. His fingers closed around a likely suspect and he pulled his hand out.  
  
He'd been rationing the packages his mum had sent him off with for the entirety of his trip, but thought it was safe to eat the last cake when he was so close to the office. He ripped open the greaseproof paper and paused to inhale the scent which wafted up. His stomach gave another rumble.  
  
Charlie sighed. If he was hungry it was likely Snape was too.  
  
“Do you want some?” he asked begrudgingly, extending his arm to hold the cake out.  
“What is it?”  
“Heavily laced with belladonna,” Charlie quipped. “It's a cake, you muppet.”  
  
Snape's eyebrows rose just slightly, his expression an unimpressed mask of disdain.  
  
“It's a cake,” Charlie repeated. “Just like a bakewell tart but in bar form. My mum makes them for me because they're my favourite and I've been living off them for the past three weeks. They're good, I promise.”  
  
To his surprise, Snape reached out and broke off half the bar and began to eat it, taking tiny little nibbles. Charlie's first thought was to shove the rest into his mouth, but then it would be gone too quickly and it was the last, after all.  
  
“Your mother always was an exemplary cook,” Snape offered after a while.  
“Merlin, check yourself Snape – handing out such compliments. You'll have a heart attack.”  
“You think me perpetually unimpressed?”  
“Pretty much.”  
“That I am not like any other wizard, with likes, dislikes, positive and negative opinions? Incapable of praise where praise is due?”  
“Yup.” Charlie shrugged.  
  
Snape stared at him for a moment, before popping the rest of the cake in his mouth and beginning to chew. He wiped his mouth and then slumped against the wall.  
  
“That's... disappointing.”  
“Why do you care?” Charlie screwed up the wrapper in his hand. “You don't like me, I don't like you. We're nothing to each other, so what does it matter?”  
“You wouldn't find it hurtful that someone – even a complete stranger – finds you so devoid of humanity? So worthless of thought?”  
  
Charlie felt his mouth go dry and his breath caught in his throat. He felt himself begin to blush with shame.  
  
“I didn't say you were... worthless. Or devoid of humanity,” he said softly. “I just... we don't know one another. We've spent every single second since we got trapped in here sparring with one another.”  
  
Snape didn't answer but looked down at his lap.  
  
“I'm sorry,” Charlie said. “I didn't mean to upset you.”  
  
He meant to continue, but at that moment the lift gave a lurch and a clunk and abruptly started travelling again. Snape got to his feet using the hand rail and Charlie scrambled upright with very little grace. He hurriedly closed his bag and shoved it back on his shoulder.  
  
The box slammed to a halt as suddenly as it had started, but with the added bonus that the doors sprang open to reveal three maintenance workers looking extremely relieved.  
  
“Oh, thank Godric, I thought we might not find you before Christmas Day!”  
  
The three of them were blocking the exit; despite having done so well whilst actually stuck in the lift, Charlie felt like the air had been suddenly sucked out of his lungs faced with a blocked escape route.  
  
“Move,” he gasped out, stumbling forward and through the line of men.  
  
They swore at him but Charlie wasn't listening as he dashed out into the cool air of the Atrium. He moved to the wall and put his back to it, trying to take deep breaths but feeling that they weren't helping.  
  
“Charlie.” Snape's voice was low as it rumbled out in front of him. “You're safe. You're out of the lift. No harm will come to you now. It's okay.”  
  
Surprisingly the words of the acerbic wizard were comforting, to the point where Charlie was able to actually feel the air he was sucking in and out doing him good.  
  
“Better?” Snape asked.  
“Keep talking,” Charlie ground out.  
“Well I'm not sure what else you want me to say? You're safe. You're okay. If you're looking for comfort you're asking the wrong man. I've never been particularly good at that.”  
“You're doing fine.” Charlie opened his eyes and found Snape standing closer than he had expected.  
  
That made him breathless for an entirely different reason. It had been a while since anybody had given him the sort of full body shiver which rippled over his skin as Snape's dark eyes settled on his face.  
  
“Thank you,” Charlie said shyly.  
  
He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt shy, either.  
  
“Look. I have to get to my office and submit the paperwork from my trip before I knock off for Christmas... but... d'you fancy getting a drink later tonight? Say... the Goblin Bar at half eight?”  
  
Snape regarded him suspiciously for a moment, before replying, “Yes. I'll meet you outside?”  
“Sure.”  
  
His dark head bobbed once and then Snape turned and strode away towards the Floo portals at the other end of the Atrium. Clearly whatever he'd been going to do before the lift had broken was no longer on his mind. Charlie wished he could have given up on his task too, but if he wanted money to pay his rent, he had to find a way to get to the office.  
  
***  
Charlie sipped his drink and looked out at the busy night in front of him. It seemed the world and its mate wanted to get trashed on Christmas Eve and he dearly wished he was already with them.  
  
What had seemed like a good idea at the time had turned out to be a pretty dull one. He and Snape had exchanged pleasantries and were buying rounds of drinks in turn. Beyond that the conversation was stilted and basic.  
  
He really could have done with going home and going straight to bed after escaping the office. As it was he'd had time for a shower to get the majority of the camping grime off and to change into his usual going out clothes. The dark jeans were a little tighter than he remembered them being, and the sleeves of his jacket were cutting into his arms. He was trying to kid himself that it was still muscle.  
  
“Oh, for the love of...”  
  
Charlie's head snapped up and followed Snape's line of sight. Two young witches were locked in a fierce kiss, running their hands over one another.  
  
“What?” Charlie asked; he began to wonder if he had made a massive error in judgement.  
“Just.. take it home. There's no need for such a show in public.”  
“Why shouldn't they express their feelings in front of people? After everything you've seen, Snape, two girls having a snog puts your nose out of joint?”  
“My nose is perfectly fine, thank you very much,” Snape shot back curtly. “Well. As fine as it has ever been, which was never very much but I digress. I just feel that that sort of intimacy should be kept private between two individuals. Not laid out for the whole world to see.”  
  
Charlie knocked back the last of his drink and wiped his mouth. “Maybe people looking is half the fun? Or maybe they're just so fucking hot for one another that they can't control themselves around one another?”  
“There is always time and room for control.”  
“So you're telling me that you've never gone at someone so hard that you couldn't think of anything else but touching them, tasting them, smelling them? Never?”  
  
He waited with his eyebrows raised. Snape's cheeks took on a slight tinge of pink.  
  
“That's none of your business,” Snape said finally.  
  
He chucked the rest of his drink down his throat and stood up.  
  
“Going?” Charlie asked trying not to sound too relieved. He really wanted to go to bed.  
“Well this hasn't exactly been a thrilling evening, Weasley. I've had better conversations with my cat.”  
“Cats are really intelligent creatures so that's not surprising.”  
“Still idiotic enough to get herself trapped in the wardrobe though, isn't she?”  
  
Charlie surprised himself by laughing. “I can just see you wandering around your house talking to a cat.”  
“Startlingly accurate.”  
  
Grinning, Charlie also got to his feet and patted for his wand and wallet. They made their way towards the doors and he started to legitimately fantasise about his bed. He was eternally grateful to his mother for nipping in to the flat prior to his return and cleaning up, but especially for changing the bedding.  
  
Stepping into the December night, Charlie shivered.  
  
“Cold out,” he said dully.  
“It's December,” Snape said.  
  
Charlie gave a little shrug and a sigh. “Well. Sorry for wasting your night, Snape... I thought...” He shook his head. “Nothing. Have a good Christmas?”  
“I'm sure sitting alone in my house will prove, as it usually does, fantastic.”  
“At least you've got your cat,” Charlie pointed out.  
  
Snape chuckled darkly at that and pulled his coat tighter around his chest.  
  
“Big family Christmas for you?” he asked suddenly, as if it had just come to him that he should ask in return.  
“Unfortunately,” Charlie grimaced. “I love my family but they're a handful and I don't think I have the energy for them this year. Oh for a decent excuse to get out of it. Fancy kidnapping me?” He looked up hopefully. “I make an excellent sex slave and I'm good at cleaning.”  
  
Something in Snape's countenance changed on hearing that.  
  
“And if I did?” the older wizard asked, stepping closer.  
“Would you?” Charlie whispered coyly.  
  
Snape stepped closer yet again.  
  
“Would you want me to?”  
  
Charlie looked determinedly at a point across the road. “Maybe. I've been known to... dabble.”  
“How much?”  
“That's none of your business,” Charlie retorted with a grin. “But... I'm... experienced, shall we say?”  
“As am I.”  
  
Charlie held his breath as Snape seized him and pushed him back into a doorstep. It was shrouded in darkness from an overhanging porch, so they were in no danger of being seen. Heard was another matter, however, as when one knee came up in between his thighs, Charlie had to choke back his moan of pleasure.  
  
“Do you want to play, Weasley?”  
“I think I do.”  
“There's no room for indecision. I will twist you up and wring you out. I enjoy pushing my partners to the very edge of their physical and mental capabilities. Are you prepared for that challenge?”  
“I can be, after a good night's sleep and a bit of practice. I've done it before.”  
  
Snape said nothing but his interest was clearly piqued.  
  
“Bet you're glad we got stuck in that lift now, huh?” Charlie muttered.  
“That depends, Weasley - if you're a foolish little amateur who blows his load at the first sign of some dragonhide restraints I'll be decidedly unimpressed.”  
  
Charlie rocked his hips experimentally and found the friction exhausting. He was truly shattered. Not tired enough to stop him from leaning forward and kissing Severus Snape's cheek, however.  
  
“You have terrible aim,” the wizard answered. “I believe you were looking for...”  
  
The kiss was soft but well-controlled.  
  
Snape flattened him against the wall.  
  
Charlie let him.  
  
 _-fin-_


End file.
